one echo :: video

[generated_anomaly]

[One would think spending one second in a space ship and another in a zoo would rattle a person. However, when Jenny lands on the ground with a thump, she isn't necessarily rattled. No, she's excited.] Hello, what's this?

[She picks up the device next to her and studies it for a brief moment before looking up excitedly at the massive creature in front of her. An elephant, not that she knows that.] Oh hello, what are you? [Getting to her feet, she reaches out to gently pet the trunk of the beast.] Trapped here in a cage, like me? Doesn't seem fair.

[It takes her no time at all to work out the device in her hand, the video coming to life. She smiles excitedly into the screen. The elephants trunk can be seen inspecting her hair, her shoulder, her face. She doesn't seem to mind it one bit.] Excuse me. I found your cages. And while I understand the necessity of them given certain situations, I must insist that you allow the more harmless creatures their freedom. It doesn't seem ri- [The elephant's trunk pokes her in the side and she laughs and looks up to him in response.] Oh, that tickles!

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[am_i_being_rude]

[The most massive double take in the universe, followed by a staggeringly stunning display of eloquence.]

What?

J-

What?

[Because he's seen her before, here, but only on one of those special times when people were seeing people, and even then he wasn't sure if she was... Well, still alive or not. But nevermind, there are more important questions.]

Are you inside the elephant cage?

[generated_anomaly]

[Her eyes grow wide and excited at the familiar voice and image on the video. Not only because it's her dad, but also because he would surely be for freeing this poor creature, the poor creature being the elephant and not her.]

Hello dad! Yes, it would seem I am in the cage. Is that what this beast is called? An elephant? Lovely name, don't you think.

[Of course now the trunk of the elephant is swishing her pony tail back and forth.]

[am_i_being_rude]

[Whoops. Normally, yes, he's quite against cages and such, but there are exceptions. Sometimes they aren't necessarily a bad thing.]

Well at least I know exactly where you are then. I'll be there in a bit. [She made friends quite fast. He's quite happy about that.] It's quite fun to say, isn't it? Elephant. Somehow it suits them, though it's hard to say precisely why.

[generated_anomaly]

[He's really going to have to explain to her why this seemingly peaceful giant of a creature belongs in a cage once he gets there. Poor Doctor.]

Elephant is very much an appropriate name for them. But perhaps that is their species name and this elephant has an actual name such as Jenny or Donna or Martha...

[Her look turns thoughtful and she looks back and down] Or maybe he's a boy elephant. Are you a Donna or a Don? [She's very interested in names since she has one herself.]

[am_i_being_rude]

[I think there are a lot of things he will cheerfully allow his other self(-ves) to assume the proper role and explain. Or he might get territorial. He's not decided yet.]

If you can get it to tell you its actual name then you've got quite a way with words. I don't think they normally go around having conversations like that.

[generated_anomaly]

My way with words is in a state of constant flux. I keep learning new things! I like learning new things.

[And now down to business.] Are you here to save these creatures from imprisonment? Or is there some greater threat? I know I could be of some help. You could take me with you like we had planned.

[am_i_being_rude]

Good! Day you stop learning, might as well stop everything. It's really just not worth it after that, I think.

[...About that.] I'm not totally su-- yeah, you could say there's a bigger issue at the moment. I'm here - well, there's two of me here, actually, which has been... fun. And Donna! You remember Donna - helped name you and all.

[generated_anomaly]

[The idea of the bigger issue, something she could help her dad out with, spikes her interest. Her eyes take on an excited light that quickly turns to an interested confusion when he mentions a duplicate of himself. Of course then she's side-tracked by Donna.]

Donna! I remember Donna. She's still traveling about with you fighting terrible creatures and saving things? I think that's fantastic. I liked her. And since she's here I suppose I like her as well.

[There's a pause for breath but because she can't help but ask...] There's another you here? Does that mean I have two dads?

[am_i_being_rude]

[The side-tracking was entirely the point so he's quite glad that worked. Young ones are a bit easier to distract, on the whole.] She's here, yeah. Few other people I suppose you'll get to meet as well. Actually some that I met when I got here.

[He absolutely makes a face at the 'two dads' thing. Still not sure how to feel about that.] Technically I suppose it does, yeah. Have to see how he feels about that.

[generated_anomaly]

[His plan worked! She attempts to push away the elephant trun that's now in her face. And she knows she probably shouldn't be so excited about being a part of his life, but he had made such an impression on her so quickly. She had modeled everything she wanted to be after him. She was excited.] I'll meet them all! All your friends who you keep about. You do tend to always have someone with you, don't you? Is Martha here? I remember her too.

[While it makes sense now to think that this copy of her dad might not want her to call him dad, she hadn't initially thought it would be a problem. So she turns thoughtful again.] Oh. Yes, I suppose that does make sense. Freedom to choose, right?

[am_i_being_rude]

[Oh man, he doesn't know that and there will be all the feels once he realises she imprinted so hxc on him so quickly.] Ah, no, Martha's out... Living her life again. Actually working for UNIT, freelance, doing a bit of what she did with us, saving people. But people you haven't met who have travelled with me as well are here. Amy, Rose - oh... There's a thing about the TARDIS as well I probably ought to say. [That stops there for a moment as he's just made it to the zoo and is going over to the elephants.]

Yeah. Best leave him the option. Didn't ask to be a father. Well, I suppose I didn't either, but I've clearly fallen head over for it already. Give him a chance to choose the same. [Sonicking the cage open. Like, the little human sized door in the cage.] There you are!

[generated_anomaly]

Amy, Rose, TARDIS... everything has a name! Such lovely names. And good for Martha. She clearly wants to do what you do. I'm sure lots of people do.

[She's going to bounce excitedly on her toes just a few times when she sees him, take a step forward, hesitate, another step, hesitate. She wants to hug him. They've hugged before. But she isn't sure how he feels about her right now. Maybe she was still just an echo to him. Maybe not. Sometimes she felt like an echo. Finally, she just does it and gives him a quick, awkward hug before pulling back again.] Hi, Dad. Here I am.

[She gestures to the large creature, slowly lumbering toward her since she had moved away from it and closer to him.] And this is the elephant that needs rescuing.

[am_i_being_rude]

[Oh he is absolutely all for hugging, and he holds her to him for all that the awkward hug will allow and then lets her go, similarly bouncy and all because it's his daughter and look she's totally not dead.] Oh I should say! Here you are! Brilliant!

[...Aaaand the elephant. Crap.] Th-... Right. Actually, Jenny, the elephant is where it needs to be.

OH! And the TARDIS. Meant to tell you. The TARDIS is a woman now! Would you believe that?

[generated_anomaly]

The TARDIS is a woman? [This is said with all of the surprise that comes with such a statement. And The Doctor has once again distracted her rather well from the fact that she can't save the elephant because now she's trying to wrap her mind around the TARDIS being a woman.]

Did the TARDIS go through a machine like a progenation machine that makes people? Does the TARDIS have DNA?

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[leathered]

--Did you just call him Dad? Him? That man there with the hair?

[ This man here looks terribly excited or horrified, rather like he hasn't decided which. ]

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[generated_anomaly]

The man with the hair? Don't most people have hair? But yes, my dad has hair, a lot of hair.

[She tilts her head thoughtfully. Now she's actually considering his hair, paying attention to it, analyzing it.]

Come to think of it, he does keep it a bit unkempt, doesn't he? It suits him though.

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[leathered]

How can he be your dad? There isn't -- they're all -- tell me.

[ He's settled on creepily intense, I'm sorry. He's practically lunging at the camera. ]

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[generated_anomaly]

Progenation machine. Quite handy little things for wars. They create soldiers out of the DNA of other beings. I was created from his DNA when he arrived on Messaline and he does have wonderful DNA.

[She's quite thrilled to be of his lineage. From everything she had seen of him on Messaline, The Doctor was the best kind of people. And then she ends with a very proud proclamation since it had been such a big deal for The Doctor and Donna back on Messaline.]

I have two hearts!

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[leathered]

[ It's a whisper: ] Two hearts.

From his DNA, so... You have two hearts. Just like I do. A daughter.

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[generated_anomaly]

A daughter. Took him a bit to warm up to me, or the idea of me. But I suppose his DNA made me a bit different than the rest of the soldiers. He's a good man, my dad.

[Of course then she realizes that he said the words 'just like I do'. She's eyeing the video curiously, her expression suddenly gone from excited to serious. Her dad had said there was another of him here. But this man didn't look like him.]

You have two hearts too? I was led to believe that that was something uncommon.

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[leathered]

[ A short laugh. ] Very uncommon. But of course, I'm a Time Lord too. He used to be me. Regeneration. Don't know if he explained it to you; he didn't even tell me you existed. [ And there's a bit of a scowl there. This is relevant information! ]

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[generated_anomaly]

[Her eyes are suddenly wide with happy excitement and before she can stop herself, she blurts out the words:] He did tell me. He said there was another him here! You're my other dad!

[Her features immediately fall as she remembers herself. The Doctor saying there's always a choice. This Time Lord doesn't remember her. No one had ever mentioned her to him.] I'm Jenny. Just Jenny... no last name. People seem to have two or three names all over the place but I'm just Jenny.

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[leathered]

I've only got one name. Makes it a bit confusing at times when I'm both in the same room. [ Oh, pronouns. ]

...It's been a long time since I've been anyone's dad. [ He's not entirely sure how he feels about it. ]

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[generated_anomaly]

Oh. Well. [She has to struggle with herself for a moment to not just say that this is how it is. Sometimes she still fights with the facts and ideals she was programmed with and the way she's learning things could and probably should be. So instead of saying anything that might make her dad think she's an echo and not an actual person, a part of him, she says something he's said to her before.]

There's always a choice. You told me that once or twice. So you can be what you want to be. That's the beauty of choice, yeah? [Yep, she feels like she's trying to pass a test or something. She doesn't even know if she's good at this kind of test. Ask her to assemble weaponry, she could do it probably quicker than most. Ask her to jump through hoops, she can, literally. But whatever she feels needs to be done right now with her dad? She isn't quite sure.]

I like your name, The Doctor. Bit confusing at first but then I suppose so is just Jenny. I had no name until Donna named me. She picked a good one, didn't she?

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[leathered]

A choice, yeah. [ He smiles. She does sound like him. (Them. Whatever.) He does like that. ] We'll see how it all falls out. Is someone coming to find you? It'd be nice to meet in person.

Donna, eh? I shouldn't be surprised. She's going to drag me into all kinds of trouble, I can already tell.